Accessibility Links

Nay-saying rural TDs doing no one a favour

Liam Fay

Pitching every government proposal as an affront against decent country folk is overplayed and counter-productive

Unreliable political advertising comes in many guises. Sometimes the messages are disseminated through cyberspace, via advanced profiling techniques and emotive advertisements. Sometimes, though, the misinformation is pumped into the atmosphere through old-school politics — and there is no more defiantly old-school group of Irish politicians than the rural independents.

In terms of news coverage it has been another bumper week for this small but energetic cohort of opposition TDs, who have once again demonstrated their uncanny ability to make national headlines from parochial concerns. Despite their success as attention-grabbers, however, there is growing evidence to suggest that these professional alarmists are losing their touch when it comes to wielding influence and winning arguments. Their relentless doom-mongering, nay-saying and special pleading have become counterproductive. The concerted…

Want to read more?

Subscribe now and get unlimited digital access on web and our smartphone and tablet apps, free for your first month.